


blueberries and the baader-meinhof phenomenon

by fallingforboys



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Good Friend Mason Hewitt, Good Theo Raeken, Introspection, Liam Dunbar is Theo Raeken's Anchor, M/M, Mutual Pining, Psychology, Puppy Pack (Teen Wolf), The Pack Ships It, Theo Raeken Needs a Hug, Theo Raeken is Liam Dunbar's Anchor, Theo Raeken is Part of the Pack, Theo Raeken-centric, alternative title: Liam Smells Like Blueberries and Theo Can't Get Enough of It
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-09
Updated: 2021-03-09
Packaged: 2021-03-15 18:07:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,143
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29937321
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fallingforboys/pseuds/fallingforboys
Summary: The Baader-Meinhof phenomenon states that once noticing something for the first time, there is an inclination to notice itall the time.Like that obscure word that you’ve never heard of until last week, but now it’severywhere. Or that water bottle that you saw in an ad a few days ago, and noweveryoneand their parents seem to own one.Or when you suddenly notice that person that was always there, but now they’re alwaysthere.
Relationships: Liam Dunbar/Theo Raeken
Comments: 14
Kudos: 124





	blueberries and the baader-meinhof phenomenon

**Author's Note:**

> not me creating an entire fic around a pyschology concept 
> 
> hope you guys like this one!

The Baader-Meinhof phenomenon states that once noticing something for the first time, there is an inclination to notice it _all the time_.

Like that obscure word that you’ve never heard of until last week, but now it’s _everywhere_. Or that water bottle that you saw in an ad a few days ago, and now _everyone_ and their parents seem to own one. 

Or when you suddenly notice that person that was always there, but now they’re always _there_. 

Your brain tags their scent when they walk into the room, or you realize that you unconsciously turn your body towards them no matter _where_ you are, and even when you’re not even _looking_ , you _still_ find them. 

All of a sudden, Theo can’t stop _noticing_ Liam.

And it was driving him _insane_.

___________________________

The first time Theo _noticed_ Liam was at the hospital, when for _some_ reason, Liam _didn’t_ let the Ghost Rider kill him even though he said he _would_ , instead risking his _own_ fight to shoot the one choking Theo.

Theo could barely _breathe_ , on his knees, and his eyes watered as the Ghost Rider’s grip tightened, and he didn’t _want_ to, but he was slowly accepting that this might be the end. That after the Dread Doctors, and hell with Tara, and everything _else_ , Theo would die at the hand of a zombie who had a weird attachment to its horse. 

But then he could suddenly _breathe_ again, and air rushed into his lungs as he panted and he looked up to see a gun in Liam’s hand and it was like a dam _broke_.

Theo’s senses were _flooded_ , and the shining star of it all was _Liam_ and his earthy scent that held a syrupy undertone that had Theo straining his senses just to catch _more_ of it. And Theo _shouldn’t_ think about it, but couldn’t _stop_ thinking about it. 

And when the rest of the Ghost Riders showed up, Theo’s nose flared as the sweet undertones dipped into the pungent scent of Liam’s _anger_ and _resignation_ – that he was going to _die_ , Theo realized– and he couldn’t _stand_ it, so he shoved Liam into the elevator, and for the first time in almost _ten_ years, Theo found himself forcing his self-preservation skills into the pits of his stomach to save someone _else_. 

Liam’s anger and resignation faded into confusion, but even his confusion had a sweet tinge, and as the elevator doors closed, Theo’s lips curled up into a smirk as he faced the hallway of Ghost Riders alone. 

And just like the Baader-Meinhof phenomenon predicted, Theo couldn’t _stop_ noticing Liam _everywhere_ after that. 

When he showed up at the school to find Liam being attacked by another Rider, Theo’s subvocal growl vibrated in his chest, because the air was filled with the suffocating scent of Liam’s blood, and before his brain could even _process_ it, Theo was digging his claws into the Ghost Rider’s back. His chest warmed when he heard Liam’s bewildered _You made it out_ because if Theo tried hard enough, he could pretend that the candied scent coming from the beta was _concern_. It wasn’t, but Theo could pretend, at least for a moment. 

Even after Liam was long gone, carrying out his _idiotic_ plan of getting into the Hunt, his scent lingered in the air, and Theo couldn’t stop himself from taking a few deep breaths, inhaling the traces of blueberry that seemed to be the steadfast hallmark of Liam. It came _dangerously_ close to admitting that Liam was his _anchor_ , but Theo was halfway there before he even _realized_ that it was happening, and there was absolutely _nothing_ he could do about it now. 

After the Wild Hunt was defeated, the pack didn’t need Theo anymore, and Theo thought that meant he’d be locked up, monitored 24/7 after everything he did, but the pack just… _forgot_ about him. And Theo hated that _that_ hurt more. At least if he was kept under the pack’s watch, he could at least _pretend_ that someone _wanted_ him to stay. But he wasn’t on the pack’s radar anymore, and the only thing that made Theo stay in this shithole of a town was the sweet scent that sometimes made itself known in Theo’s truck, because Liam was long gone, but all the times he’d sat in the passenger seat as he reluctantly worked with Theo when the Ghost Riders were terrorizing them added up, and now Theo couldn’t even escape him even when he knew Liam probably didn’t even _think_ of Theo.

And then suddenly the whole town was trying to kill them, and Theo was back to unconsciously tagging the undertones of Liam’s scent that he wished he didn’t _notice_. 

When Liam asked Theo to help with his plan at the zoo, Theo had been _stunned_ , but he reeled it in quickly, and somehow they ended up growling at each other as they fought to draw the hunters’ attention. And even after three broken noses, Theo couldn’t tell himself that he regretted coming along, because the smell of blueberries enveloped him, coating his throat, and he couldn’t get _enough_ of it. And then Liam started explaining his weird plan, with _Mykonos_ , and if it was _anyone_ else, Theo probably would’ve tuned them out by now, but he _couldn’t_ , not with Liam, not when the sweet tinge of Liam’s scent had _spiked_ , and Theo barely managed to get the words _I’m impressed_ out of his mouth, because the syrupy taste of Liam’s fascination– with _history_ of all things– crowded his throat and made it hard to do _anything_.

And it’s always been there, even back when Theo had arrived in Beacon Hills, back when he was obsessed with getting enough power to get away from the Doctors, back when they weren’t on the same side, but Theo had never _noticed_ it, and the Baader-Meinhof phenomenon could honestly go fuck itself because Theo _loathed_ this. 

And the reason _why_ had never been made more clear than when Theo stopped Liam from killing Gabe. Theo had _known_ that the beta would let his fury take over after the hunters shot up Scott’s house and _Mason_ got hurt, but Theo _also_ knew that if Liam _did_ go through with this, that sweet scent that Theo had unwittingly gotten attached to would be _gone_. Because he _knew_ that if Liam’s gold eyes ever turned blue, the little innocence that the beta had managed to keep despite all the shit he’d faced since he’d gotten bitten would be lost forever, dissipating into the space between right and wrong, because there _were_ no blurred lines between gold and blue, no gradient that could alleviate the weight of _killing_ , not when it came to _Scott McCall’s_ pack. So he monitored Liam’s chemosignals and waited for the acrid taste of his anger to die down as Theo kept talking and talking and talking until Liam finally let go of the young hunter. And maybe deep down, Liam appreciated Theo’s intervention, appreciated Theo stopping him from making the one mistake he could _never_ come back from– and Theo knew _everything_ about that– but there was no gratitude in the beta’s voice. No, Theo didn’t _deserve_ gratitude or appreciation when it came to Liam, and Liam made _sure_ he knew that. 

_Scott’s never gonna trust you_.

But Theo heard what Liam was _really_ saying: _I’m_ never gonna trust you. And that fucking _hurt_ when the only reason Theo had _stayed_ was _him_. But Theo knew he didn’t even have the _right_ to be hurt, not after last year, not after everything he did to the pack, to _Liam_.

_Why do you keep trying to save me?_

Theo wanted to _laugh_ when Liam had asked him that, because what was he even supposed to _say?_ And there were a few reasons that made their way to the front of Theo’s mind, but there was no _fucking_ way he was saying them, not when Liam _hated_ him. Not when Liam’s scent never held that blueberry undertone when he was talking to Theo. Because Theo didn’t deserve Liam’s innocence, and he _never_ would. 

But in pack meetings, he couldn’t help but angle his body slightly towards the beta, couldn’t help but unintentionally track Liam’s scent. Couldn’t help but notice when it dipped as Scott talked about Monroe, and sweetened when there was a brief reprieve from all the violence, and Liam spent it with his friends. Couldn’t help but notice that the smell of blueberries always seemed to intensify when Liam was around the Puppy Pack, even _Brett_ , and Theo _knew_ their history, knew that there was a time when _Brett_ was the one that caused Liam’s scent to dip into anger, but not anymore, _especially_ after Brett and Lori almost died. No, even _despite_ the way Brett teased Liam and made sarcastic comments and was pretty much just an _asshole_ , the syrupy scent surrounding the beta never wavered, and Theo _hated_ it. Because Liam would _never_ be that way around _him_ , no matter _what_ he did, no matter all the things he was _trying_ to do to be _better_ , it didn’t fucking _matter_. 

Theo would always be an outsider to the pack, and nothing he could _ever_ do would change that.

So Theo did what he does best. He left.

Or he _would’ve_ , if not for Scott’s call that came _exactly_ as he was about to leave this shithole. And all Theo heard was _Liam_ and _hospital_ , and before he knew it, he was pulling up to the parking lot of Beacon Hills Memorial Hospital, his mind _racing_ , because what if he was too _late?_

But turned out, he _wasn’t_ , and Theo had never felt more lightheaded than he did when he pulled Liam into the elevator, because his scent was _everywhere_ now, because Liam was in his _arms_. But this was Theo, and Theo didn’t get nice things for long, and Liam pulled back and looked at him like he was shocked Theo had even _shown_ _up_.

_I’m not dying for you_.

What a fucking _lie_ , Theo thought, milliseconds after the words had left his lips, because he _would_. He would _fucking_ die if it meant that Liam _wouldn’t._ But Liam didn’t know that, because Theo didn’t _let_ him. 

But when it was all over, and Theo saw Gabe crawling on the floor, surrounded by blood, something possessed him to walk over to the dying hunter. Maybe it was the fact that he wanted to know if he _could_ , or maybe it was the fact that Theo _knew_ what it felt like, begging for help in your last moments, despite knowing that there was no point. But as the word _no_ left Gabe’s lips after Theo took his pain, Theo felt something in his stomach twist, because Theo could _care_. He wasn’t the numb, emotionless _machine_ that the Dread Doctors had made him out to be anymore.

And suddenly, Theo wasn’t on the _outside_ anymore. The war had ended months ago, but the pack didn’t _forget_ about him like last time. _Liam_ didn’t forget about him.

And Theo couldn’t stop the hope from unfurling in his chest, even though he knew it was a bad idea.

___________________________

“Did you know,” Mason asked suddenly, and Theo’s mask fell into place _instantly_ , because it was just the two of them in Theo’s truck, because for _some_ reason, Mason decided to invade the only place Theo had to himself, “that your body _always_ turns slightly towards Liam whenever he’s around?”

Theo froze. “What do you mean?” he responded, keeping his voice steady, but it was easy, since Mason couldn’t pick up on the way Theo’s pulse had skipped.

Mason gave him an unamused look, like he knew Theo was just acting dumb, but he explained anyway. “Like at pack meetings, you guys are always standing next to each other for some reason, and Liam’s usually facing forward, but _you_ , you’re always tilted towards him. Weird, right?”

The human’s voice was light, but Theo could hear the intensity Mason was trying to subdue. Theo crossed his arms over his chest, slumping back into his seat. “Yeah, weird.”

“And yesterday, when Liam got pissed at Malia for coming at _you_ ,” Mason stressed, giving Theo a heavy look, “You said _two words_ and he calmed down.” Mason raised an eyebrow, and Theo clenched his jaw. “You wanna explain?”

“No.”

Mason snorted. “It’s funny that you think you have a choice.”

Theo didn’t ask for this interrogation, but now it seemed like he couldn’t get out of it even if he tried. “It looks like you’ve got it all figured out already, Mason, I don’t think I need to explain anything.”

The human turned in the passenger seat, pressing his back against the door. “Maybe. But I still wanna hear it from _you_.”

“Does it even matter?”

Mason paused, because Theo’s voice had gone quiet, and if Mason was supernatural, he would’ve caught the hesitation drifting off of him. But Mason had a talent of picking up on everyone’s emotions even though he _wasn’t_ and he let out a small sigh.

“Liam wouldn’t defend you against the pack unless it did, Theo.”

Theo’s pulse skipped again. “He probably just thinks he owes me for saving him.” Mason gave him an unreadable look, but Theo just continued. “No one wants to feel indebted to some–”

“Okay, let's talk about that then,” Mason interjected, his voice firm, and Theo felt like he just walked into a trap. “Why _do_ you keep saving him?”

A muscle in Theo’s jaw jumped, and Mason’s lips twitched. Theo ignored that. “I _don’t_.” But even Theo could tell his words were far from the truth, and Mason was quiet for a few minutes. Theo thought that would be the end of it, but unfortunately, he celebrated too soon.

“I’m not supernatural,” Mason pointed out uselessly, and Theo bit back a sarcastic retort. “But Corey and Brett are.”

Theo stiffened. If Mason was bringing up Brett and Corey, that meant he would bring up–

“And Brett told me something interesting the other day. About chemosignals.”

_Fuck_.

“Oh yeah?” Theo asked nonchalantly, even though he _knew_ this conversation was creeping in a direction he did _not_ want to go.

“Yeah,” Mason said bluntly. “Apparently, Liam’s scent has this… _undertone_ to it, that’s usually pretty subtle, but is easier to pick up when he’s happy.”

Fuck, fuck, _fuck_. Theo needed to leave _now_. But Mason’s eyes were pinning him in his seat, and Theo could do nothing but helplessly listen.

“And I thought, that’s weird, because Liam’s usually pretty happy, even with his IED,” Mason continued, “And Brett agreed, that it’s there most of the time, _but_ , apparently there are times when it _spikes_.”

“Mas–”

“And Corey said it was funny,” Mason raised his voice, cutting Theo off. “That whenever it _did_ , it was when Liam was with _you_.”

The truck was dead silent.

“And what’s even _funnier_ ,” the human emphasized, his stare unwavering, “Is that _apparently_ , sometimes _your_ pulse skips when Liam’s scent spikes.”

Theo’s claws dug into his thighs, and he saw Mason’s eyes drop down to the movement. “What do you _want_ , Mason?”

Mason studied him for a few moments. “You’re tuned to Liam’s scent, aren’t you?”

Could Theo even lie at this point? Mason would _know_ it was a lie before the words even left his lips, and Theo was honestly getting tired of lying.

“Yeah.”

Mason looked surprised for a moment, but he schooled his expression and looked at Theo curiously. “Why?”

Theo gritted his teeth, angling his head to look out the window. But there was no point in avoiding the truth anymore, not when Mason already knew, even if he was pretending he didn’t. “He’s my anchor.”

Mason exhaled heavily, and Theo looked back at the human, who looked _relieved_ , almost. “Thank _fucking_ god you finally admitted it. I thought it would take another thirty minutes honestly, with how bad you are at letting people in.”

Theo glared at him, but Mason just slumped back against the door. “And you’re his,” the human noted, giving Theo a pointed look. “You guys aren’t as subtle as you think you are.”

“What do you want, Mason?” Theo repeated, sighing. “You can’t have stalked me here just to get me to admit that me and Liam are each other’s anchors.”

Mason rolled his eyes. “I didn’t _stalk_ you, you were in the _grocery store_ , but that’s not the point. The point _is_ , even _Stiles_ admits that there’s some weird connection between you two, so why aren’t you _doing_ anything?”

“Do _what?_ ” Theo asked, and the words came out a lot more bitter than Theo had intended them to, and Mason looked taken aback. “There’s nothing to do, Mason.”

Theo felt Mason’s eyes on the side of his face, but he refused to look back. “I’ve known Liam pretty much since we were in diapers,” Mason finally said, his voice low, “And I’ve never seen him look at _anyone_ the way he looks at you sometimes. Even _Hayden_. It scares me a little bit, honestly. But not as much as it _would_ , if you don’t look at him the exact same way.”

Theo’s breath hitched, but it was quiet enough in the truck that Mason heard it, and a ghost of a smile pulled at his lips. “If you’re holding yourself back because you think you don’t deserve it,” Mason began, and Theo held back a wince, because that’s _exactly_ why, “I’m just letting you know that you’re stupid.”

Mason’s grin widened when Theo’s mouth parted in surprise. “It’s been _months_ since the war, Theo, and it’s been longer since you’ve started changing. And I know you won’t admit it, but I _know_ it was because of Liam. And you’re _pack_ now, do you really think Scott would let you back in unless you deserve it?”

“ _Yes–_ ”

“Do you think _Stiles_ would let you back in unless you deserve it?” Mason corrected, and Theo’s mouth tightened, because _no_ , even if Scott would because of his horrible tendency to naively trust everyone, _Stiles_ doesn’t forgive as easily. But a few months after the war, _Stiles_ had been the one to tell Theo that he was pack, and he could stop acting like he was still an outsider. Theo hadn’t been _acting_ , but Stiles’ glare had stopped him from arguing about it, and he had eventually accepted it. But that didn’t mean he deserved _Liam_. 

“Mason, can you just tell me why you’re really here?” Theo asked, exasperated, because he _knew_ Mason _still_ wasn’t telling him the real reason, and he was getting _tired_ of this.

Mason’s heartbeat stuttered, and Theo’s eyes snapped to the human. “Liam’s in the hospital.”

Theo stilled. “ _What?_ ” he growled out, and Mason flinched.

“It’s not serious, and I wanted to tell you in person instead of over the phone, because I wanted to talk to you first, but it was a hunter attack, and he’s _fine_ , just got hit with a couple of wolfsbane bullets, and _Theo_ , I _swear_ , he’s fine–”

“You waited _this_ long to tell me?” Theo snarled, turning the keys and hitting the accelerator. “What the _fuck_ , Mason?”

Mason’s hand flew up to the handle above him as Theo took a sharp right turn, and he honestly looked like he was turning a little green. “Could you maybe slow down a little?”

“ _No_.”

They reached the hospital in record time, and Mason rushed out of the truck before Theo even fully _parked,_ but Theo didn’t waste any time comforting the human. He deserved it for waiting an _hour_ to tell him that Liam was in the _hospital_.

Scott’s head whipped up when Theo stormed into the hallway, and he jumped up quickly, placing a hand on Theo’s chest to hold him back. “Theo, he’s _fine_ , calm down.”

“He’s in the _hospital_ ,” Theo hissed, “How is he _fine?_ ”

The door to Liam’s room opened, and Stiles poked his out, words already falling from his mouth. “Liam says that he wan– _oh_. Oh no.”

Theo pushed past Scott and grabbed Stiles’ collar and yanked him out of the room fully before shoving him towards Scott. They both stumbled a little, but Scott managed to stop them from falling on their asses, with no help from Stiles, of course. Theo stomped into the room, and slammed the door behind him, before finally turning to the bed in the middle of the room.

Liam looked amused, and Theo’s anger wavered when he caught the too-familiar scent of blueberries lingering in the room. 

“Why are you smiling?” Theo snapped, but Liam’s grin just widened.

“Despite what you think, I’m actually not _useless_ at detecting chemosignals, you know,” Liam stated, his eyes twinkling, and Theo’s eyes widened slightly before he could stop it. “You were worried about me.”

Theo scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest. “No I wasn’t.”

But Theo had gotten in the habit of not controlling his body anymore after the war, and he blamed the sweet scent that overwhelmed his senses, because his pulse skipped a beat, and Liam heard it. Because his face softened and he patted the space on the bed next to him. Theo didn’t move for a moment, but he never could resist Liam’s puppy dog eyes, and a few seconds later, his thigh was pressed against Liam as he sat facing the beta. 

“Can I tell you something?” Liam’s voice was low, and Theo hesitated before nodding. “I like that you were worried about me.”

Theo’s breath caught in his throat, because that was _alarmingly_ close to admitting something _else_ , but Liam’s heart was completely steady, and the beta’s blue eyes didn’t waver as they looked into his. 

“Liam, you can’t _say_ th–”

“I can,” Liam’s voice was hard, “And I’ll say it as many times as it takes for it to sink in.”

Theo knew they weren’t talking about Theo being worried anymore. “Lia–”

“Ten minutes ago, _Stiles_ told me to get my shit together and talk to you about… _this_ ,” Liam interrupted him, his words rushed, “Do you know how _bad_ this has to be if _Stiles_ is telling me to do something about _you?_ ”

Theo’s mouth parted, because what the _fuck_ , but Liam didn’t even let him say anything.

“I know you’re good at chemosignals, Theo.” Liam’s thigh pressed harder against his. “So why are we still avoiding it?”

“I– You des– How do you just _forget_ everything I did?” Theo finally asked, and Liam sighed.

“I didn’t _forget_ , but you’re also not the same person that did all those things. You haven’t been for a _long_ time, Theo. And you were about to say I deserve better, weren’t you?” Liam’s voice held a hint of accusation in it, and Theo felt like he should apologize, for some reason, even though he believed it.

“You do.”

“No.”

“Yes, you _do_ ,” Theo repeated, his eyes flashing once. “I– I _killed_ people, Liam. My sister, Tracy, Josh, they’re _gone_ , because of _me_. And, and I shouldn’t even _be_ here, but Scott’s too nice. I don’t _deserve_ your pack, I don’t deserve _you_. And you shouldn’t eve–”

Theo’s mind went blank.

Liam pulled back, his eyes sparkling, and Theo could still feel his lips on his. “You have any reasons why this shouldn’t happen that actually make _sense?_ ”

“Uh,” Theo’s brain wasn’t _working_ , and he should _hate_ it, because he _hated_ being vulnerable, but Liam’s scent had spiked, and Theo was close enough to feel the syrupy smell in his _throat_ , and he couldn’t _think_ anymore. 

Liam’s lips twitched, and before Theo could even _blink_ , Liam lunged forward, and Theo was pushed backwards onto the bed, Liam’s mouth pressed against his as his body covered him. Theo’s hands instinctively went to Liam’s hips, and the beta smirked into the kiss. 

The door suddenly slammed open, and Theo _jumped_ , because he was _always_ aware of his surroundings, but he hadn't even _noticed_ until Stiles, Scott, and Mason entered the room, shit-eating grins on all three of their faces. 

“ _Finally_ ,” Mason drawled, and Stiles was already pulling out his phone and taking a picture of them, probably to send to the pack group chat, and Theo groaned inwardly, because he _knew_ Brett would torture him for not being the first to know. “Your sexual tension was _suffocating_ us.”

Liam, to Theo’s surprise, didn’t move off of Theo, instead just dropping his head on Theo’s chest. “Fuck off. And get out.”

Theo’s heart stuttered, and he _felt_ more than saw Liam’s smile. 

The smell of blueberries surrounded Theo, seeping into every crevice it could find, and Theo took a deep breath as he closed his eyes and tuned out the other four that kept talking. 

Okay, so maybe the Baader-Meinhof phenomenon wasn’t _that_ horrible. 


End file.
